"You shall not covet..." Exodus 20:17 Have you ever thought about the placement of the 10th commandment? We talk about the first four commandments being vertical (our relationship with God) and the last six being horizontal (our relationship with one another). We talk about how the command to "honor your father and mother" splits the middle of the Ten Commandments relating to both the vertical and horizontal commands. But is there a reason why covetousness is listed last in this list? I wonder if there is not a relationship between the 10th commandment and the 1st commandment. The 1st commandment prohibits idolatry ("You shall have no other gods before me"), and Paul makes a clear connection between covetousness and idolatry in his letters (Eph 5:5; Col 3:6). When we covet something, we are in effect putting that in the place of God. It is idolatry. So, it could be that the Ten Commandments does a full circle; it ends where it began. The most important thing in our spiritual life is that our eye be single (Mt 6:22). We must keep our focus on God and not on the things of this world. Father, purify our hearts that we love You above all else.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:03:48 +0000
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